To achieve the PAS year-on-year, the subject of the PAS must achieve an emission's reduction. Once the first footprint is complete, we set an emission's reduction target. This can be done on an overall emission's basis, or by using an emission's intensity ratio.
An intensity ratio is your overall emissions figure divided by a relevant business metric. For some Bodyshops we have set the emission's reduction on a per job or repair basis (tC02e/job), to account for company growth. This has been essential for Bodyshops that set their baseline year during the lockdown. Going forward, we want to encourage our clients to set Science Based Targets within the PAS2060 framework – this means ensuring that reduction targets set are in line with the Paris Agreements target to limit global warming to 1.5 °C.
At ECA, we then provide you with a carbon management plan. This provides a breakdown of the footprint and sets an agenda for the next year to achieve the emission's reduction. This is typically split into the following areas: -
- Process and procedures.
- Purchasing strategy.
- Green supply chain engagement.
- Employee engagement.
- Equipment and machinery.
- Infrastructure and on-site generation.
The reduction plan may also recommend obtaining better data for the footprint. For scope 1 and 2, it's always best to measure the footprint based on actual consumption data for a full year. This means the litres of petrol, or the kWh of natural gas consumed, rather than using expenditure data to estimate the consumption.
For scope 3, we can calculate emissions from the supply chain based on expenditure in different industrial sectors. However, it's more accurate to obtain activity data. For example, for a Bodyshop, we could identify that there are high scope 3 emissions associated with vehicle recovery services provided by another organisation. An action would be to liaise with your supplier to obtain mileage or litres consumed to improve the accuracy of the calculation. Engaging with your supply chain is essential for understanding the full picture of your organisations emissions and for taking reduction actions.
The carbon management plan will then evolve to become a working document, considering actions achieved, budgets and timescales for implementing other actions further down the journey. It's imperative that the carbon management plan is aligned with the strategy and Environmental and Social Governance policies of the business.